Psalm 22:23-31; Genesis 16:1-6; Romans 4:1-12
Genesis 16:1-6, which is the opening of the story of Hagar and Ishmael. This tells about how Abraham’s wife wanted a child so badly that she offered up her slave Hagar to Abraham and Hagar conceives. They took the promise God had offered in Genesis 15 into their own hands.
Romans 4:1-12 talks about Abraham’s faith being credited to him as righteousness.
When you read those two passages side by side it is shocking.
Abraham acts in a way that is anything but righteous. He impregnated a woman that is not his wife and he then leaves this woman to be abused by his wife.
Yet, Romans 4 reminds us that this righteousness that was credited to Abraham was not based on anything he did. It was based solely on the promise that God made. His righteousness was credited to him before this scene plays out.
Think about that.
Abraham is deeply flawed, deeply sinful, and in many ways pretty awful. So was his wife.
Yet, he is considered righteous in spite of this.
God’s grace is so overwhelming that even a man like Abraham can become the spiritual father of the nations. God’s faithfulness is greater than any man’s. God’s grace is beyond anything that we can ever imagine.
I am reminded by this passage that I don’t need to take things into my own hands. I can trust the God of grace to bring his plans to fruition. When I trust God there is rest.